Golf-ball-driving practice apparatus



Jan. 13, 1931. H, MacGEORGE 1,788,803

GOLF BALL DRIVING PRACTICE APPARATUS Filed A ril 12, 1928 /7 A; Z5 INVENTOR: H Tlomashifilaefiemye ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 13, 1931 UNETED STATES -f F GOLF-BALL-DRIVING IERAGHJICE arrnnn'musj I Application filed April 12, 1928. seriaiivo. 269,373.,

scription.

The invention consists in the novel construction, adaptation and combination of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

, In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus embodying the present invention illustrated in itsform now preferred by me; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of Fig. 1; Fig. 3

' is an end elevation taken from the left hand side of Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 is a horizon tal section on line 44 of Fig. 2.

K In carrying out the invention I provide an open front tent-like structure of canvas or other suitable material having two side walls 5, a rear wall 6 and a top wall 7 extending for-' 'wardly from the rear wall and connected to the upper edges of the rear portions of the side walls. The top wall slopes upwardly from the rear to its front edge 8 which is located at about the midlength of the structure.

The'side walls are desirably arranged to c diverge from back to front and, forwardly of their connection with the top wall, said side walls are formed to provide tapering wing extensions 5 p 7 The tent is suspended at about its midlength by means of straps 9 attached to the upper ends of poles 10, one at eachside of the tent. The rear end of the tent is .sus pended at the respective corners by means of straps 11 attached to the upper ends of poles 12. I a

- Said poles 10 and 12 are disposed exterior- 1y of the tent and in spaced relation therewith so as notto interfere with the flexing of the tent material when struck with a ball. Said poles are secured or held in operative positions as by means of guys such as 13.

ing to natural driving conditions, would im- The loweredges'of the back and side walls of the tent may be secured byfmeansof pegs or, preferably, as shown, by being connected by. means of seizings 14 with heavybodies such for instance as bags 15 containing sand, V p

to assure a surface adapted to yieldingly give at all points which maybe exposed to the impact of a drivenball.

The space within the tent and below the top wall constitutes a chamber which is divided'by means of a curtainarranged transversely'of the tent and depending from said top wall.

This curtain is disposed in spaced relation from the back wall 6 and is comprised, preferably, of two sheets 16, 17, ofcanvas or an .equivalent'located in substantially the same vertical plane with eachother and extending from or near the respective sidewalls 5 to overlap each other horizontally at about the midwidth of the tent chamber'as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in a mannerto present a twofold thickness at the approximate point at which a ball, driven in a true line correspondpact in its flight, against the curtain.

The bottom of the side walls ofthe tent are connected at the front and rear by stays 18 and 19 respectively with suitable securing means such for example as bolts 20 secured in the floor or ground, v

A player standing in front of the tent drives a ball into the tent chamber and against the curtain 1617. either directly or through incidence with respect to one of the side walls 5 in the-event that the ball in its flight should strike such a wall. The ball encountering the curtain will cause the latter to be forced backwardly to an extent propor-- tional to the velocity of the ball. 7 The amount of the rear deflection of the curtain is the measure of its force and also the distance at which the ball would travel if unconstrained. The use of two overlapping curtain members permit the curtain to bulge, to so to speak, responsive to the force with which a ball strikes the curtain without unduly stressing the tent'structure.

The playersrstand may be between the leads 5 of the tent orat any distance therewe infront according to the proficiency and strength of the player.

What I claim is A golf-ball practice apparatus comprising in combination, a tent structure unprovided V with a floor and having a back wall, a top wall extending forwardly from said back wall, and side walls connected to said back and top walls and said side walls protruding in diverging relation with respect to each other forwardly of the front edge of the top wall, tent supporting poles disposed exteriorly of the tent and in spaced relation thereto, weight means connected to the lower portions of the back and side walls of the structure for holding the same down, said means being adapted to present ayielding surface coax tensive with the length thereof,- and a transvers'ely arranged curtain depending from said top Wall and in spaced relation from saidback wall said curtain being formed Gem trally of its width of two overlapping'mem bers, said overlap providing a double thick ness target to theimpa'c't of a driven ball.

Signed at Seattle, WVashington, this 2nd day of April, 1928. V w

THOMAS MAGGEORG'E. 

